Oooh la la! It’s been a long time coming, but the Doctor is about to be reunited with Iris Wildthyme! They’re both in 1920s Paris and everyone’s flocking to Iris’s salon.
But wait…! What’s that noise..? Thud thud thud…! It’s the soft, approaching feet of a small and acerbic Art Critic Panda…!
MUSE OF FIRE
All the way back in “The Stones of Venice,” Paul Magrs set out his audio drama template: breezy character pieces, dripping in local atmosphere. Not every story of his follows this model, but “Muse of Fire” certainly does, and gives us a long-awaited seventh Doctor and Iris Wildthyme meeting to boot.
It’s Paris in the 1920s, one of the greatest places and periods for artistic achievement in human history. Legendary artists populate the salons, cafes, and bookshops – it’s exactly the sort of place you’d expect to find the Doctor, and sure enough, he arrives with Ace and Hex to take in the sights and sounds. But when they arrive, they discover a problem: a series of cruel reviews has demoralized the great artists, and one by one they are fleeing Paris. Hex, for example, meets a distraught Salvador Dali as the master throws his paintings into the Seine. And who’s behind it all? Iris, naturally, but not for the reasons the Doctor may think.
There’s not a lot going on in this story, but there isn’t supposed to be – you’re supposed to enjoy the atmosphere and the characters and not worry about the plot, and that’s right up my alley, even if it means there isn’t much to say about the story. It’s great to have Philip Olivier back – there’s no reason we can’t do “missing adventures” with Hex, after all, and Magrs really digs into the character’s early days. He’s still crushing on Ace, and he’s still earnest and trusting – and the idea of him working as a nude model is appropriately hilarious. Magrs divides the cast in two, with the Doctor and Ace on one side, Iris (and Panda) on the other, and Hex unhappily caught in the middle. Iris is her usual inscrutable, mischievous, enigmatic self – she’s clearly working to her own agenda, but the endgame is unclear. The Doctor, of course, is used to being in control, and he prejudges Iris and uses that judgment to draw conclusions. All of this builds to a suitable conclusion at Iris’s salon.
There are a couple of drawbacks to an otherwise enjoyable tale. For one, it feels particularly lightweight – it’s a great time spent in the company of fine characters, but despite the subject matter it feels almost insignificant. There’s also a problem with a supporting character: Kevin Archer (Gethin Anthony) is both overwritten and overacted, and brings down every single scene he appears in. Which is a shame, given that he appears in many scenes. Ace, too, still lacks maturity, though Sophie Aldred’s performance is quite good. These are relatively minor complaints, however – the story is quite enjoyable, the atmosphere is great, and the production, especially Jamie Anderson’s direction, is first-rate. Not every story has to be a monumental, earth-shattering tale – it’s just nice to have a unique tone that isn’t aping the TV series. Oh, and it’s great to have Iris back, and I hope this isn’t the last time.
Recommended.
7/10